Rackspace Business Productivity Rx: Master Your Inbox

It’s easy for our Inboxes to get out of control. Before we know it, high-priority emails can get pushed down the list—out of sight and out of mind.

By implementing three common email management tools, however, you can turn your Inbox into an effective productivity tool, and reduce the time you spend sifting through email.

Folders

Email folders are essential—even if you create just one. Plan to keep all high-priority, action-item emails in your main Inbox, and file everything else away in a folder. You can use one generic folder, or organize your emails into categories by using multiple folders. Either way, the goal is to clean out your Inbox, so that only the important emails remain.

Filters will automatically move new emails into designated folders, so you don’t have to. This is especially helpful for keeping low-priority emails (like newsletters and mailing list emails) out of your Inbox altogether. And don’t forget about spam filters—they will move spam directly into your Spam folder.

Once you have cleaned out your Inbox, and only the important action-item emails remain, you can prioritize your emails by assigning flags. This way, you’ll see easily which items you need to tackle first. You can also sort your list according to flag color, so that flagged items appear at the top of the list.